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Heath, "Concrete" Made to Stick
Abstract This chapter, from the book Made to Stick, written by brothers Chip and Dan Heath, teaches readers how to create ideas that last and "stick" in the memory of their audience. The authors focus on the first "C" of their method "SUCCES" (Simplicity, Unexpectedness, Concreteness, Credibility, Emotions, and Stories) can be beneficial when trying to obtain and hold the attention of a reader, listener, or watcher. In this particular chapter, the Heath brothers focused particularly on the contrast between concreteness and abstractness. The Heath brothers concluded that concretely portraying your ideas and/or beliefs so that the audience knows how to respond is the optimal way to make your idea impactful. Key Concepts Concreteness is more effective than abstractness A focal point in this reading was the concept of how concreteness makes ideas more tangible, and easier to understand for the audience. Providing several examples, such as "The Nature Conservancy," "Understanding Subtraction," "Brown Eyes, Blue Eyes," and "The Ferraris Go to Disney World in the R&D Lab," the Heath brothers displayed that when the people who the message is being directed towards can have a solid visualization of the idea being introduced, it is more likely to stick and be comprehended in the intention that it was meant to be comprehended. As the book states, " Language is often abstract, but life is not abstract." We will always tend to hold on a remember what we can imagine and visualize rather than complicated ideas given through abstract language. Simplicity One of the main concepts is that ideas should be simple. Simplicity does not mean simply dumbing an idea down but making it a priority. It needs to be the core of your message and easily synthesized and shared. Unexpected The brothers say that to get a message to stick, the audience has to want it. Ideas should be unexpected and attention grabbing. Credible The two brothers emphasize the importance of credibility. Even if an idea is attention grabbing they need to be founded in truth. Ideas can get credibility from the outside or from human scale statistics and vivid details. Emotional the idea that people care about people and not numbers is emphasized. They talk about the idea of WIFFY which is (What's in it for you). Many people will pay attention but not do anything if they don't benefit from their own actions. They mention that identity can often trump self interest in the end. Stories The last key concept is Stories. The brothers talk about how stories drive the action or the idea and it can inspire and motivate the intended audience. Stories can help people visualize a change and identify with a problem. Examples John F. Kennedy's "Man on the Moon" Speech It was simple and concrete. He declared what he wanted, which was a Man on the Moon by the end of the decade. Kennedy inspired the American People with a simple but powerful speech. He stated what he wanted and enticed emotion from the audience. Max Abramovitz and the State Farm Center Although his plans for the State Farm Center (previously known as the University of Illinois Assembly Hall) were thought to be a failure and impossible, through his concrete blueprints and calculations, he was able to build the dome that is present and standing to this day. It is considered the first concrete dome to be built and is now a historically acclaimed building on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Critical Conversation "Made to Stick" has been cited by 665 sources, many of which include the topics of leadership, cooperation, management, and informing. Many of the authors who have cited "Made to Stick" have written about leadership and social relationships. This shows that the book has been used as a source when finding evidence on what works when one needs to be influential and wants their opinions and decisions to be influential to their audience. There are also multiple sources that are based on what may be helpful for teachers and professors with making the material that they are teaching to stick with the students that whom they are educating. Keywords Language Communication Concrete Influence Reading Speech Citations * Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New York: Random House, 2007. Print. Category:Reading Category:Inspiration Category:Ideas Category:Education